Sugar beet topping machine



Filednec. 30,1926 3 sheets-sheet 1 v Septyl, PEER SUGAR BEET TCPPING MACHNE Filed Dec. 30, 1925 3 Sheets-*Sheet 2 V Cha/o peer* Sept l, 1931. C, PEER 1,821,573

l SUGAR BEET TOPPING MACHINE Filed Dec. so, 1926 3 sheets-sheet s Patented Sept. 1, 1931 Unirse srArE-s CHARLES PEER; or BRUSH; oonoRAno SUGAR Bnn'r Terrine MACHINE Application sied neember so, 192e: serial no; 158,036.

This invention relates to van improvement in sugarbeet topping` machine.

Theobject'of this invention is to .providey a 'simple ,and efficient mechanism for cutting .fi thetops from sugar beets of any Various sizes and to convey suoli tops, after being cut, to

the rear of the machine for discharge later` ally between the rows of sugar beets. It is also the purpose of this invention to 16 allow'anpautoinatic adjustment of the 'cutting mechanism with relation to the sugar beet tops in order tocut off all of the tops of either large or small beets. I

y With these objects in View, the invention it? comprises a frame-work which supports housings on opposite Sides of the machine for gearing, which connects the cutting 4disks with the rear axle ofthe machine, in order to A, a'ctuat'e such disks upon the propelling ofk 26" the machine. Wheels are also provided an mounted upon shafts carried by lsaid housings and driven throughthe gearing mounted in the housings, inV order to be'moved up over and around the sugar beet tops to carry' the housingsabout such tops andto bring the cutting disks into proper relation therewith', for cutting off the tops near the sugar beets. Chain conveyors passI through the .c housings, in. order to convey the cut tops t0 3e the rear of the machine where they pass over a platform and are discharged between the rows of sugar beets.`

In the accompanying vdrawiiw'szL- :of the complete machine;

Fig.` 2 is a vertical sectional view partly in of the' bar 3, having their upper ends turned inwardly as at 5 and connected with the links 5(16 which extend toward the rear of the ma-V Fig; 1 is a side elevation partly in section chine; The rear wheels 2 carry the rear axle 7. Bars 8 extend from" the rear axle 7 to the front-bar 3 substantially at the opposite ends thereof and form connecting links bei tween these two sections of the Amachine while also serving as the main supporting frame therefor. l

The rear "ends of theA bars 8V preferably re ceive the axle 7, as shown in dotted lines in F ig.- 1,'and lare supported bysuch rear axle. Extending transversely between the bars S isa guide-bar 9, supporting the footpedals l0, to which the links 6 are connected, in order to guide the'machine by turning the stub shafts 4 and the front wheels 1. Aseat 11 is mounted upon the supporting bars 8 exteiidingA upwardly therefrom for the usey of the operator.- Any suitable draft,y vmeans may be providedfor the *machinev and con# netted with the front axle or supporting-bar 3,a`sde'si`red. l

Supporting plates 12 and 13 vare provided on opposite sides of the machine and extend substantially' from the front to the rear, thereof, as"k shown in Fig'. 1, saidplates' being substantially triangular-'in shape with the apex at'the front end ofthe machine, as clearly 'shown in Fig. 1. The plates 12 and 13 have the upper and lower edges thereof bent outwardly in the 'form of anges 14;

Mounted on the rear axle'7 in spaced apart -V krelation as' 'shown inQFig.` v3 are the driving gears 15 meshing with pinions 16, fixed upon sulr'istantiallyV vertical shafts 17, on opposite sides ofthe machine. The lower ends of the'V 85` shafts 17 are mountedv in thrust-bearings 18 carriedby the flanges 14, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and the upper ends of'said shafts are received in bearings 19`. Fixed on the shafts 17 are chain wheels 20 which receive sprocket chains 21 and 2 2, the upper sprocket chain 21 extending substantially to the front of the plates 12 andr 13 and being mounted upon a sprocket wheel 23 carried by stub shaft 24' l mounted in bearings 25', supported by the l 95 flanges 14 Iof the plates 12 and 13. Thelower sprocket 'chain 22 passes around the sprocket wheel carried by a stub shaft 26, mounted inthe bearing 27, also supported upon the flanges 14 ofthe plates 12 and 13, at points slots 37, as shown in Fig. 2.

intermediate of the front sprocket wheels 23 and the driving sprocket wheels 20. Mounted in the plates 12 and 13 at a point intermediate the front and rear wheels 1 and 2 are stub shafts 28, upon which are fixed gears 29, and driven pinions 30 mounted on shafts 31 mesh with such driven gears 29. The shafts 31 are mounted on balls 32 carried in sockets 33 fixed to the plates 12 and 13 and form aA support for such shafts 31.

The lower ends of the shafts 31 have the cutting disks 34 fixed thereon to be revolved for cutting the tops from the sugar beets. Mounted on the stub shafts 28 are gauge wheels 35, which as shown in Fig. 2 are slightly tilted at an angle to said stub shafts and these wheels 35 are adapted to turn with the stub shafts but are permitted to slide outwardly thereon, by reason of the pins 36 and ceive pins 39, about which springsy 40 are mounted, for n-ormallv tending to press the wheels 35 inwardly toward each other. The plates 38 abut against the hubs of the wheels for resiliently holding such wheels in their inward positions.

Drive shafts 41 are mounted in bearings 42 upon the upper flanges 14, as shown in Fig. 1, yand extend from therear of the machine toward the front thereof. The driving shafts 41 have driving pinions 42 xed on the rear ends thereof which pinions mesh with the rear driving gears 15, as shown in Fig. 1. vThe front ends ofthe driving shafts 41 have driven pinions 43 thereon for meshing with the driven gears 29, in order torotate such gears and the wheels 35 and cutting disks 34 from the rear axle and kwheels of the machine. Mounted on one of the shafts 17 between the two sprocketvgears 20 and carried thereby is a. sprocket pinion 44 for driving a sprocket ychain 45, whichdrives rotating ngers 46 supported on a shaft'carried in brackets 47 at the rear of the machine as shown inFig. 1. A plate 48 is attached Vto the bottom flanges 14 and extends across between the plates 12 and 13 and substantially from the cutting disks 34 to the rear of thev machine extending under-,the fingers 46, in

order to support the tops ofthe sugar beetsA during their passage from the cutting disks l to the rear of the machineand to'all-ow such tops'to be thrown laterally .by the fingers 46 between the rows of sugar beets. i

Housings 49 are securedto the plates 12 and 13 and to the flanges 14 thereof, about the gears 29 and the stub shafts 28, as shown in Fig. 2, and these housings 49 support the pins 39 to carry the springs 40. Similar housings 50 are provided'for the rear driving gears 15.

The front ends K supported upon a spring carried yoke 51, which extends to and is connected with the transverse member 52, which extends betweeny Plates 38 re-r ofthe plates 12vand 13 are the supporting rods 8. Links 53 also support the front ends of the plates 12 and 13, as shown in Fig. 1, and a lever 54 is pivotally connected with the links 53 and said lever is pivotally mounted at 55 in the member 52, in order to elevate the front ends of the plates 12 and 13 and to hold the cutting disks 34 and wheels 35 away from 'the ground when the machine is not in use.

In operation, the machine is drawn over al row of sugar beets, with the tops thereof passing between the wheels 35, and the tops are severed lfrom the beets by means of the cutting disks 34 which are rotated through thegears 29, 30, 42 and 15,V and the shafts 31 and 41 from the rear axle of the machine. The tops are carried rearwardly by means of the sprocket chains or conveyors 21 and 22 and during the rearward passage these tops are supported upon the plate or platform 48, between the plates 12 and 13.v At the rear of the machine, .the tops are received and thrown laterally between the rows by means of the fingers 46, rotated through the chain 45 from one of the rear shafts 17. The machine is guided, if desired, by means of the foot-pedals 10, links 6, and front axles 4.

The resilient mounting for the wheels 35 causes them to pass around the tops of large sugarbeets and brads or pins may be formed on such wheelsfor causing the same to be pulled upon the beets instead of pushing the beetsV rearwardly. The ball and socket mounting for the shafts 31 and the cutting disks 34 causes the disks to be rocked whenever the wheels 35 are raised up over a beet crown, the shafts 31 rocking rearwardly in order to cause the disks torsever the tops at lower points'.

Y claim: y

1. A machine of the character described including aframe,supporting wheels therefor, supporting platesextending longitudinally of said machine, cutting means carried thereby, conveyors associated with said cutting means, resilient' means normally tending to hold the supporting plates in their lowered positions, links connected .with the supporting plates and extending upwardly therefrom, and a lever mounted on the main frame and connected with the links for raising and flowering the supporting plates, out of and 3. A machine of the character described including supporting Wheels, an axle connecting said Wheels together and rotated thereby, supporting plates carried by said axle, drive shafts mounted on and extending longitudinally of said supporting plates and geared to the axle, disk shafts mounted on said plates and geared to said drive shafts, cutting disks fixed on the disk shafts, and conveyors asso ciated With the cutting disks and driven from the axle.

4. A machine of the character described including supporting Wheels, a drive axle connecting said Wheels together and rotated thereby, supporting plates mounted on said axle, drive shafts mounted on and extending longitudinally of said supporting plates andV geared to the axle, disk shafts universally supported on the plates, and geared to said drive shafts, cuttingdisks fixed on the disk shafts, conveyor shafts geared to the drive axle, and endless conveyors driven by said shafts and associated with the cutting disks.

5. A machine of the character described including a frame, cutting disks mounted thereon, rotary disks shafts for supporting and driving said cutting disks, stub shafts mounted in said frame and geared to said cuttingdisks, gage Wheels slidably mounted on said stub shafts, and driving means for the Wheels and cutting disks.

6. A machine of the character described including a frame, disk shafts universally mounted on said frame, cutting disks carried bv said disk shafts, stub shafts mounted in the frame, tilted gage Wheels slidably mounted on said stub shafts, and rotatable therewith, and driving means for the stub and disk shafts.

7. A machine of the character described including a frame, cutting means carried there-` by, stub shafts mounted in the frame, and gauge Wheels slidably mounted on the stub shafts and associated with the cutting means.

8. A machine of the character described including a frame, rotary coacting cuttinU disks carried by the frame, shafts mounted in the frame and carrying the disks and means for varying the angle of the shafts to the supporting frame and in the plane in Which the machine is traveling according to the size of the objects to be'cut.

9. In a machine of the character described, the combination of rotary coacting cutting disks, shafts carrying said disks, a frame supporting the shaft and means for swinging said shafts relative to the supporting frame and in planes parallel With the direction of travel of the machine to vary the depth of the cut.

10. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a frame, cutting means carried thereby, stub-shafts carried by the frame, and gauge means carried thereby for ting disks operatively connected With and driven from the drive shaft.

12. A machine of the character described comprising a main drive shaft, supporting plates each having one end connected With the main drive shaft, drive shafts journaled in the 4plates and extending longitudinally thereof, one end of each of the drive shafts being geared to the main drive shaft and driven therefrom, and a cutting disk oper atively connected With and driven yfrom the opposite end of each of the drive shafts.

18. A machine of the character described comprising a main drive shaft, supporting plates each having one end connected With the main drive shaft, drive shafts journaled in the plates and extending longitudinally thereof, one end of each of the drive shafts being geared to the main drive shaft and driven therefrom, a cutting disk operatively connected With and driven from the opposite end of each of the drive shafts, and a conveyor associated With the cutting disk and driven from the main drive shaft independent of the second-mentioned drive shafts.

14. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a cutting element, a shaft carrying said cutting element, and a pivotal support for the shaft in the frame permitting the shaft to tilt at its point of support.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.Y

CHARLES PEER. 

